Sena taluka chief killed in savage attack

Shiv Sena president of Haveli taluka and sarpanch of Nanded village Pandurang Ambike (44) was killed with sharp weapons near Dhayari Phata on Monday night. He was stabbed 17 times.

Pandurang Ambike

The Haveli police officials said they had arrested three people for their involvement in Ambike’s murder and ruled out the possibility that the crime was politically motivated. The accused were identified as Raju Baban Devne (23) and Vikas Bhandari (24), residents of Nanded Phata off Sinhgad Road, and Vasant Dattatray Babar (22) of Jambhali.

They were arrested yesterday morning. Police officials said that Ambike owned a grocery shop near Nanded Phata. On several occasions he had reprimanded the accused for eve-teasing and mocking senior citizens near his shop. This had lead to several brawls between them. “At 11 pm on Monday when Ambike was returning home after visiting a doctor in Dhayari, the suspects intercepted his motorcycle at Dhayari canal, and allegedly assaulted him with sharp objects.

They stabbed him 17 times and fled the spot,” Senior Police Inspector of Haveli police station Sardar Patil said. Ambike was rushed to the nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. “We received information that these three youths were involved in the murder. We launched a search operation and arrested them under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC,” Patil said.